Emotions will be high when top seed University of Perpetual Help System Dalta and reigning champion Letran College clash in Game 1 of their Season 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association juniors basketball best-of-three finals series today at the Filoil EcoOil Center in San Juan.
Game time is set at 9:30 a.m. with the Junior Altas of Dr. Antonio Tamayo slightly favored to capture their first NCAA title in 40 years after beating the Squires in their elimination round encounter, 94-88.
Most Valuable Player frontrunner Amiel Acido will be at the helm with the support of LeBron Daep and Mark Gojo Cruz, who were both selected to see action in the National Basketball Training Center 2024 All-Star Game on 23 March at the Mall of Asia Arena.
They will test the mettle of Moses Manalili, George Diamante and Jovel Baliling, who led the Squires to a 7-2 win-loss record in the eliminations before posting an easy 91-77 win over San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the Final Four to book a ticket to the finals series.
But hunger will be a major factor as the Junior Altas are craving for the crown they last tasted in 1984. Although they advanced to the Final Four in 2010, the title remained elusive and they had to wait for another 14 years before finally making a finals appearance.
Perpetual finished the eliminations with an 8-1 win-loss card and flirted with disaster before booking a scary 96-91 win over Mapua University in the semifinals.
In that game, seldom-used John Roluna stepped up, dropping a career-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals while Daep and Acido chipped in 22 and 20 points, respectively, to underscore their balanced offensive prowess.
Also tipped to see action for the Junior Altas, who are expected to draw around 5,000 students and alumni in this very crucial battle, are 6-foot-7 Jamal Diaz, Aries Borja, Kelsey Baldoria, Wayne Valencia, and Zek Asuncion, Jericho Cristino.
On the other hand, expected to banner Letran are center Jolo Navarro, Daniel Padilla, Justine Hugo, June Silorio, Dave de Leon, Alex Gazzingan, Roy Reyes and Ric Golez.
